Nixon vetoes bill on union dues

Jun. 26, 2013

Jay Nixon

Written by

David A. Lieb

Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY — Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed legislation Tuesday that would have required public employees to give annual written consent before union dues could be deducted from their paychecks.

The Democratic governor said in his veto message that the bill passed by the Republican-led Legislature would have placed “unnecessary burdens on public employees for the purpose of weakening labor organizations.”

In addition to requiring annual consent for dues deductions, the legislation would have required a similar annual approval from public employees to spend a portion of their union fees on political activities.

Republicans who supported the bill called it a “paycheck protection” measure that preserved the rights of individual employees.

But Nixon said the legislation would have unfairly targeted unions with requirements that are not imposed on other automatic paycheck deductions, such as for college savings accounts or retirement plans.

Overriding Nixon’s veto would require a two-thirds vote of both the House and Senate. That appears unlikely, because some Republicans joined with Democrats in opposing the bill.